Over at Slacktivist and Making Light there are lively discussions about ‘Could you live on X amount of money?’ Lots of commenters are chiming in with their mimimum requirements. For me, though, all those participants are missing the point of the discussion. This comment at Slacktivist expresses my sentiments exactly (though more eloquently than I could have done so):
For me, my happiness for their good fortune turns to scorn for their blind privilege when they go from, ‘I wouldn’t know how to live on only 100k a year’ or ‘I wouldn’t want to try to live on only 100k a year’ to ‘I couldn’t live on 100k a year’. I understand that you don’t want to downgrade your lifestyle; who would? I understand that you’ve never had to live on 100k, let alone 50k, let alone 30k, and it’s very understandable that you regard the prospect of trying with some trepidation.
But you could do it. Lots of people do it, because they must, because they have no choice. And if you had no choice, you’d do it, too. So be grateful. Be humble. Help those who don’t have your staggering luck, to be amongst the richest people living in the richest country. You don’t deserve it, nobody could, so at least be thoughtful about it.
One of my biggest fears in life is that I’ll feel entitled to something. For me, being part of an intentional faith community is one of the biggest antidotes to feelings of entitlement. It helps me to keep in mind just how miniscule I am in the grand scheme of things.